The outlook has gone from bad to worse for Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies. The Cy Young candidate has officially been ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to address his blood clot issue. He has been diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, and the typical timeline is a 6-8 month recovery.
Wheeler was officially placed on the 15-day IL back on August 16. The 35-year-old dealt with some shoulder soreness during his past few starts and did not have his typical level of control and dominance. The blood clot issue was identified following his start against the Nationals on August 15. He underwent an initial procedure on August 18 when he returned to Philadelphia, and the Phillies have since evaluated their options.
The writing was on the wall for Wheeler’s season being over once the issue was first announced. But it becoming official still changes the outlook notably as a major hit to the Phillies’ postseason hopes and a tough blow to Wheeler’s individual Cy Young campaign.
Across the 24 starts he made this season, Wheeler posted a 2.71 ERA with an NL-best 0.935 WHIP and leads all of baseball with 195 strikeouts. Wheeler also has been vocal about his desire to walk away from baseball once his contract expires following the 2027 season. Not only does this injury rule him out for the postseason run, but the recovery timeline also could lead to him beginning next season injured as well.
On the bright side, it should be looked at as a positive that there is a recovery timeline at all. Blood clots are not a typical sports injury with which there is a direct recovery process and a chance to play through it. This is an issue that affects everyday life and could have had much more dire results if this had not been caught.
The show must go on for the Phillies, who hold a six-game lead for the NL East. If the season were to end today, they would have the second seed in the National League and earn a first-round bye as a result. Starting pitching depth has been a strength for the team, but it remains basically impossible to replace an ace with a 5.2 WAR on the season.
Cristopher Sanchez will now be looked at as the clear ace on the roster and has pitched like it all season. Across his 25 starts, he leads the National League with a 6.2 WAR and is posting an 11-4 record and 2.46 ERA with 169 strikeouts across his 157.0 innings. He is second in the National League in Cy Young odds at +290 on DraftKings Sportsbook. Ranger Suarez has also had some of his best moments when the lights are the brightest in the postseason, and Aaron Nola is just now working his way back from injury. Jesus Luzardo is also a name worth noting, as he has shown some nice flashes after being the team’s most notable offseason addition. The Phillies are better equipped to sustain this type of loss than most teams, but there is still no way around it being a brutal development.
The Phillies still hold the second-best odds of winning the World Series at +550 on DraftKings Sportsbook. It will take the bats and the rest of the pitching staff stepping up if they are to overcome this type of significant loss this late in the season. Whether this proves to be a rallying point within the clubhouse or shakes the foundation of the team is still to be determined.
